1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a housing of a receptacle connector and to a mold for molding the housing, and particularly to a housing for a receptacle connector molded using an improved mold whereby a tongue of the housing for receiving terminals of the connector can be formed with highly precise dimensions and positional accuracy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIGS. 7-8, a conventional receptacle connector is often used to connect a plug (not shown) with a PCB (not shown). In general, this type of receptacle connector includes an insulative housing 1 and a plurality of terminals received in the housing 1. The insulative housing 1 comprises two sidewalls 10 parallel to each other and defining a port 13 therebetween, and a tongue 11 located between the two sidewalls 10, a plurality of grooves 110 being located in both surfaces (not labelled) of the tongue 11 for receiving a plurality of terminals (not shown). When the receptacle connector connects with the plug, outer faces of sidewalls of the plug matingly slide along inner faces of the sidewalls 10 to enter the port 13 so that contacts in inner faces of the sidewalls of the plug can precisely engage with the terminals of the receptacle connector.
In molding the insulative housing 1, plastic material is injected into a mold 20, 21 (see FIG. 7) from an injecting inlet 12. Because the plastic material does not flow into all parts of the mold at the same time, in general, the tongue 11 is completely formed after the sidewalls are complete. Thus, thermal stress can concentrate in the tongue 11, which can result in deformation, deflection, and distortion in the tongue. When any of these happens, the receptacle connector can no longer reliably connect with the plug, especially in a vibration environment. Hence, an improved mold for molding a housing of a receptacle connector and a housing of a receptacle connector having more precise dimensions and positional accuracy, are required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.